Pneumatic thread removing system for weft replenishing looms



March 12, 1946 w. H. WAKEFIELD PNEUMATIC THREAD REMOVING SYSTEM FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed July 1, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

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PNEUMATIC THREAD w. H. WAKEFIELD 2,396,354 REMOVING SYSTEM FOR WEFT REPLENISI-IING LOOMS Filgd July 1, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JIVVENTQR 'hlaz. TER HWQKE'FZELD QlM/IT Hu -:1

HZTORNEY March 12, 9 6. w. H. WA EFIELD 42,396,354 PNEUMATIC THREAD REMOVING SYSTEM FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed July 1, 144 s Sheets-Sheet a Z VENTOR Hausa HWaKEme-Lp HTTORNEY Patented Mar. 12, 1946 PNEUMATIC THREAD REMOVING SYSTEM FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Walter H. Wakefield, Worcester, Mass, assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 1, 1944, Serial No. 543,138

18 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in pneumatic thread removing systems for weft replenishing looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide a compact arrangement of thread controls and bobbin holding magazme.

In weft replenishing looms it is desirable to tension the weft ends of reserve bobbins in the magazine and remove the weft end of a transferred bobbin as soon as it is cut at the selvage. It is further desirable to remove the weft end of the outgoing bobbin so that it will not be drawn into the warp shed by the shuttle. Heretofore pneumatic devices have been proposed for the removal of both of these threads but such devices have ordinarily been distributed around the loom and have required a variety of supporting structures. It is an important object of my present invention to provide a hollow support for the bobbin magazine so positioned as to form part of the pneumatic thread removing system.

In the past it has been customary to mount the pneumatic thread holder from a point outside the magazine on a bracket or the like. It is a further object of my present invention to mount the pneumatic thread holder on the support for the mag azine and preferably extend the holder through the magazine and between stacks of reserve boobins to a point where its intake mouth can receive the weft ends leading from the magazine.

When the weft end of a transferred bobbin is cut at the selvage it is likely to fall by gravity and hang downwardly from the thread holder. Pneumatic thread holders of the type heretofore used have generally had either horizontally or upward- 1y opening intake mouths so that the thread hangs down from the edge of the intake month where it is not readily attracted by the column of air rushing into the intake mouth. It is another object of my present invention to provide a pneumatic thread holder with a downwardly opening mouth so constructed and located that the cut thread of an outgoing bobbin will hang in the stream of air moving upwardly into the intake mouth and be drawn into the latter.

It is another object of my present invention to provide a thread remover located between the magazine and the selvage with a short conduit leading to a fitting pneumatically connected to the holder support for the magazine and arrange the conduit so that some part of it passes near the axis of the transferrer arm which acts to depress the thread remover at the time of a replenishing operation. By this relationship the conduit is subjected to a minimum of movement and can be made very short.

A type of weft replenishing loom which has gone into extensive use employs a rocking magazine having two stacks of reserve bobbins. The magazine is ordinarily held in position for transfer from one of the stacks but is rocked when a transfer is to occur from the other stack. The magazine is mounted on a pivot around, which it is rocked by devices under control of weft replenishing and box shifting mechanisms of the loom. It is another object of my present invention to provide a hollow pivotfor the magazine and incorporate this pivot into the pneumatic system of the loom.

It is desirable to be able to adjust the position of the thread holder intake mouth relatively to the position of the magazine and lay when the latter is on front center position. It is another object of my present invention to provide a thread holder mounted Preferably on the magazine support or pivot in such a way that it can be turned angularly to affect the aforesaid adjustment.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment ofmy invention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of part of a weft replenishing loom having my invention applied thereto, parts being in vertical section,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the magazine and thread holder looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1, the end of the thread holder being in section,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the magazine shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan of the magazine and pneumatic system, showing the location of, the thread accumulator and adjacent parts of the loom,

Fig. 5 is a side elevation looking in the direction of arrow 5, Fig. 4, showing the thread remover in its normal raised position,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section on line 6-6 of Fig. 4, indicating the relation of the thread holder, the axis for the magazine, the supporting bracket to which the magazine support is held, and the aforesaid fitting,

Fig. '7 is a detailed side elevation looking in the direction of arrow LFig. 2 showing the manner of adjusting the thread holder, and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical section through the thread receiving head of the thread remover.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 4 and 5, I have shown a weft replenishing loom frame Ill supporting a crank or top shaft H which drives the lay l2 by means of connectors IS. The lay is provided with a shuttle box M which periodically receives a shuttle S containing a bobbin l5. Located above the shuttle box is a rocking magazine designated generally at M having in the present instance front and back guideways l6 and I1, respectively, for stacks of bobbins B and B, respectively, which feed downwardly by gravity. The magazine is supported on a bracket 18 secured to the frame H). The reserve bobbins have weft ends W extending therefrom toward a thread holder designated generally at H. An air pump 20 is secured to the loom frame and is operated by means of a lever 2| attached by connector 22 to the lay. A conduit or pipe 23 extends forwardly from the pump toward the pneumatic device to be described. On each backward movement of the lay the pump creates subatmospheric pressures within conduit 23, and on forward movement of the lay valves not shown but well known shut off the pump from the conduit and provide for escape of air in the pump.

During a weft re lenishing operation a transferr r arm 25 is depressed to move the lowest bobbin in one or the other of the bobbin stacks into the shuttle S and at the same time drive the bobbin l out of the shu tle. The incoming bobbin der ved from the magazine will have extending therefrom a weft end desi nated at W in Fig. 2, while a second thre d F will extend from the shuttle box toward the center of the loom and be attached to the adiacent salvage not s own. This thread F is shown in F g. 4 and is part of the last pick laid by the out o ng bobbin 15. Devices not shown herein a e pro ided or cutting the thread F in the s uttle box at the t me of rans er. and al o for cutting t e threads W and F adjacent to the selva e several nicks after trans er. When t e th ead F is o t in the shuttle box it is d sirable that the end thereof ad acent to t e s ut l box he moved to a position out of the path of th shuttle. a d at the time of cutt ng of thread W and F at the s lva e it is desirable that both of these hreads be removed.

In order that the thread F may be removed there is rovided a thread r mover R co p sing a lever 21 pivoted on a stud 28 on which t e trans fer er arm 25 is pivoted. This lever s held frictiona ly in any position to which it is moved by devices nc udi g a spr ng 9. see Fi 5. A r 30 is slidably mounted on the lever and is urged rea ward y b a com ression s ring 3! snrounding the rear part of the rod and exerting a rearwa dlv directed force against a thread removing head 32. Ordinarilv the thread remover is in raised osition but at the time of tra sfer a stud 33 on the transferrer arm en ages the lever 21 and de resses the same so that t e l 35 of head 32. as will be u derstood from Fig. 4, will be behind the thread F.

The matter thus far described except as noted hereinafter may be substantially the same as similar devices heretofore proposed and shown for instance in prior Patents Nos. 2,199.296; 2,199.353; 2199,354; 2,262,309 to Turner and No. 2,219,768 to Darwin. Since the present invention relates more particularly tothe pneumatic connections between the thread bolder H, the thread remover R, and the air pump 20, it is not thought necessary to set forth further details of he matter already described.

In carrying my invention into effect the bracket l 8 is provided with an enlarged hub 59 in which a tubular axle or pivot member 4| is held as by set screws 42, see Fig. 6. The pivot member 42 extends outwardly and has mounted thereon the bearing 43 of the magazine M. As shown more particularly in Fig. 2 the magazine comprises inner and outer bobbin guiding plates 45 and 45, respectively, and it is the inner plate 35 which carries the bearing 43. The outer plate 36 may be held in position and secured to the inner plate 45 by means of tie rods 47 shown in Figs. 1. 3 and .4 but omitted from the other figures.

The tubular pivot M has formed on the outer end thereof an enlarged shoulder or head 50 engaging the outer part of the bearing 43, or the part thereof to the right as viewed in 6. By reason of the set screws t2 the tube ii can be adjusted longitudinally to confine the bearing 43 between the hub 40 and the head 59. Extending into and threaded in head 52 is a preferably rigid pipe 5| held in adjusted position by a lock nut 52. This pipe extends outwardly between the front and back stacks of bobbins and is bent downwardly as at 53, see Fig. 2, and is provided with a curved neck 55 leading to a downwardly opening intake mouth 55. The neck 56 may be so bent that the left hand wall 56 thereof as viewed in Fig. 2 curves downwardly and to the left so that a thread depending from the intake mouth as indicated at position I will be tangent to the wall 56 at a point above the intake mouth and hang freely from the wall and in the path .of a stream of air moving into the intake mouth.

The threaded connection between the pipe 5! and. the head 50 makes it possible to adjust the location of the intake mouth 55 relatively to the magazine and lay, and this adjustment is held by means of the lock nut 52. Thus, in Fig. 7 one of the possible angular positions of the thread holder is indicated in full lines, while another position thereof is shown in dotted lines. lhe under part of the neck may be provided with notches 58 to receive the weft ends W when the latter are being presented to the intake mouth 55.

As shown in Fig. 6 the inner or left hand part of the hub 40 has a fitting 60 secured thereto as at 6|. This fitting is hollow and has a passage 62 communicating with the interior of the pivot tube 4| and has also front and back passages 63 and 64, respectively, indicated in Fig. i. These passages are sealed against the atmosphere by a. tight fit between hub 40 and fitting B9, and communicate with the interior of the tubular pivot 4| and the thread holder.

The front passage 63 has pneumatic connection With a flexible tube 65 secured to the fitting and extending forwardly, downwardly and then rearwardly above rod 30 for attachment as at 6-5 to the head 32. The latter is hollow, having a passage 61 therein communiciating with an in take mouth 68 located above the previously described lip 35, see Fig. 8. The intake mouth 88 is therefore in pneumatic communication with the interior of the fitting 60 and as indicated in Fig. 5 the axis of the stud 28 of the transferrer arm passes through the conduit 65. When the remover R is depressed as already described, therefore, there will be a minimum of movement on the part of conduit 55 tending to disturb it.

The rear passage 64 of the fitting fill is in pneumatic communication with a tube or conduit m the forward end of which is connected to the fitting 60 and the rear end of which is attached to a second fitting H carried by the front wall 12 of a thread accumulator designated generally at A and communicating with the interior of the latter. This accumulator or thread collector is a box-like construction having a horizontal foot 13 connected as at 74 to a part of the loom, such as the foot E of the loom arch not otherwise shown. Ihe accumulator is provided with a cover 76 which may be transparent and hin ed as at 11 to the upper part of the rear wall 18 of the ac cumulator. Vertical rods 79 may be provided within the accumulator for the entanglement of threads.

The rear wall 18 is provided with another fitting 80 connected to the forwardend of the previously described pipe or conduit 23. A screen ill, see Figs. 4 and 5 is mounted on wall 18 inside the accumulatorA to guard a passage 82 which pneumatically connects the accumulator with the conduit 23. The screen prevents passage of threads from the accumulator through the conduit 23 to the pump 29. The interior of the fitting ED is therefore seen to be pneumatically connected to the pump as through the accumulator so that when subatmospheric air pressures are created within conduit 23 and the accumulator by the pump air will be drawn into the intake mouth 55 of the thread holder H and the mouth '68 of the thread remover R.

7 In operation, the pump 2i! will periodically create subatmospheric pressures within the accumulator to draw air into the thread holder and thread remover for the purpose of attracting and holding any thread which may extend into either of the mouths 55 or 68. As seen for instance in Fig. 2 the several weft ends W from the reserve bobbins in the magazine will pass into the intake mouth 55 and then be drawn along the interior of the pipe 55 toward the accumulator, thus tensioning the weft ends and keeping them above the path of the lay during normal loom operation. When the weft end of a transferred bobbin is cut at the selvage as already described it will move downwardly from the position W to the position I of Fig. 2 where it will be clear of or out of contact with the periphery of the mouth -55 and will have contact with the wall 56 at a point somewhat above the intake mouth 55. The air mov, ing into the intake mouth will therefore be able to act on all sides of the thread to draw it along tube 5i to the thread accumulator A. The rela-, tionship between the thread in position I and the intake mouth 55 as illustrated in Fig. 2 grows out of the fact that the intake mouth faces downwardly so that a thread falling by gravity will move to a favorable position for pneumatic attraction into and along the thread hoder,

The remover B, when in, depressed position as already described, will draw that end of thread F between the shuttle box and intake mouth 68 upwardl into the head 32 and passage 61. This outer end of the thread F will be held in the thread remover until the selvage cutter not shown cuts the inner end of the thread F, whereupon the whole thread will move through the passage 61, conduit 65, passage $3 of the fitting 60 and thence through passage 64 and pipe in to the accumulator.

Thepivot tube 4| is shown herein as providing a support around which the magazine M may rock as set forth more particularly in prior Patent No. 2,128,974. So far as certain features of my invention are concerned, however, it is sufficient if tube 4! serves as a support for the magazine and not necessarily as a pivot. It will in fact serve that function without becoming a pivot when transfers occur involving bobbins from one of the stacks I6 or H, depending upon which one is normally in transferring position, as set forth in the last named patent, It will also be obvious that I am not necessarily limited to the use of pump 20 as a means for creating subatmospheric pressures Within the accumulator.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a pneumatic thread removing system for a weft replenishing loom which includes a hollow cylindrical support for the magazine. This hollow support is located between the thread holder and the thread accumulator and serves not only as a support for the magazine but also as a mounting for the thread holder. Furthermore, the thread holder ma be adjusted angularly because of its connection with the head as suggested in Fig. '7. The thread holder intake mouth opens downwardly so that the cut thread of a transferred bobbin falls natura ly to a position which facilitates its entry into the tube 5!. The thread remover arm is pneumatically connected to the accumulator A through a fitting which is mounted on the magazine bracket, and this fitting has three passages one of which communicates with the accumulator, another with the thread holder and a third with the thread remover, Also, the axis of the transferrer arm and lever 21 passes through tube 65.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without de arting from the soirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a pneumatic thread control system for a we t re lenishing loom having a magazine provided with bobb ns from which weft ends extend, hollow means in which subatmospheric pressures exist during loom operation, a hollow thread holder having an intake mouth receiving said weft ends, and a hollow support for the magazine pneumatica ly connecting said hollow means to said read holder.

2. In a pneumatic thread control system for a weft re lenishing loom having a magazine provided with bobbins from which weft ends extend, hollow means in which subatmosoheric pressures exist during loom operation a hollow support for the magazine pneuma icall connected to said hollow means, and a hollow thread holder mounted on said support and having an intake mouth receiving said weft ends and pneumatically connected through said holder and said support to said hollow means.

3. In a p eumatic thread control system for a weft re lenishing loom having a magazine provi ed with bobbins from which weft ends extend, hollow means in which subatmospheric pressures exist during loom operation, a hollow thread holder having an intake mouth receiving said weft ends, and a hollow support for both the magazine and holder pneumatically connected to the latter and said hollow means.

4. In a pneumatic thread control system for a weft replenishing loom having a magazine provided with bobbins from which weft ends extend, a hollow support for the magazine, a hollow member in which subatmospheric pressures exist during loom operation located on one side of the said support and having an intake mouth receiving said weft ends.

5. In a pneumatic thread control system for a weft replenishing loom having a magazine provided with two stacks of bobbins from which weft ends extend, a hollow support for the magazine, a hollow thread holder extending between said stacks and having an intake mouth receiving said weft ends and pneumatically connected through said holder to the interior of said support, and a hollow member in which subatmospheric pressures exist during loom operation pneumatically connected to the interior of said support.

6. In a pneumatic thread control system fora weft replenishing loom having a rocking magazine provided with reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend, a hollow cylindrical support for the magazine on which the latter rocks, a hollow thread holder mounted on said support and having an intake mouth receiving said weft ends and pneumaticall connected through said holder to the interior of said support, and a hollow member in which subatmospheric pressures exist during loo-m operation pneumatically connected to the interior of said support,

7. In a pneumatic thread control system for a weft replenishing loom having a rocking magazine provided with two stacks of reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend, a hollow cylindrical support for the magazine on which the magazine rocks having an axis located between said stacks of bobbins, a hollow thread holder extending from said support between said stacks and having an intake mouth receiving said weft ends and pneumatically connected through said holder to the interior of said support, and a hollow member in which subatmospheric pressures exist during loom operation pneumatically connected to the interior of said support.

8. In a weft replenishing loom having a rocking magazine having two stacks of bobbins from which weft ends extend, a stationary hollow pivotal support for the magazine about which the latter and said bobbins rock, a stationary hollow thread holder secured to said support and extending between said stacks of bobbins and having an intake mouth into which the weft ends from both stacks extend, and means to create subatmospheric pressures within the thread holder to draw said weft ends into said intake mouth.

9. In a pneumatic thread holder for a weft replenishing loom having a lay and a magazine rockable about an axis and provided with reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend, a pivotal support for the magazine about which the latter rocks, a hollow thread holder mounted on the pivotal support and having an intake mouth for said weft ends and capable of assuming a plurality of angular positions around said axis to locate said mouth in difierent positions relatively to the magazine and lay, means to hold the thread holder in any of said angular positions, and means to create subatmospheric pressures within the thread holder to draw the weft ends into said intake mouth.

10. In a pneumatic thread holder for a weft replenishing loom having a lay and a magazine provided with reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend, a support for the magazine, a tubular member extendin from and capable of assuming a plurality of different angular positions relatively to the support and transversely of the lay and bent between the ends thereof, means to secure one end of the tubular member to said support with said tubular member in angularly adjusted position relatively to the support, the other end of said tubular member having an intake mouth for the weft ends moving transversely of the lay when the tubular member is adjusted angularly relatively to the support, and means to create subatmospheric pressures within the tubular member to draw the weft ends into said intake mouth.

11. In a pneumatic thread holder for a magazine rocking about an axis and having reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend, a pivotal support for the magazine about which the latter moves angularly, a tubular thread holder having an intake mouth for the weft ends in the outer end thereof, means to hold the inner end of the thread holder in angularly adjusted position relatively to said pivotal support, said thread holder having the intake mouth thereof ofiset with respect to the axis of said pivotal support and said intake mouth moving in a plane transverse of the magazine axis when said thread holder is adjusted angularly relatively to said support, and means to induce subatmospherio pressures within said thread holder to draw the weft ends into said intake mouth.

12. In a pneumatic thread holder for a weft replenishing loom having a rocking magazine provided with reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend, a pivotal support for the magazine, a tubular thread holder having a screw thread connection between one end thereof and said support and having an intake mouth for the weft ends at the other end thereof offset with respect to the axis of said pivotal support, means to hold the thread holder in adjusted angular position on the support, and means to create subatmospheric pressures within the thread holder to draw the weft ends into said intake mouth.

13. In a pneumatic thread holder for a weft replenishing loom having a rocking magazine provided with reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend, a hollow pivotal support for the magazine, a tubular thread holder having a screw thread connection between one end thereof and said support and having an intake mouth for the weft ends at the other end thereof offset with respect to the axis of said pivotal support and communicating pneumatically with the interior of said support, means to hold the thread holder in adjusted angular position on the support, and means to create subatmospheric pressures within said pivotal su port and the thread holder to draw the weft ends into said intake mouth.

14. In a pneumatic thread holder for a weft replenishing loom having a reserve bobbin from which extends a weft end which is cut subsequent to a replenishing operation, a hollow thread holder having a downwardly opening intake mouth into which said thread extends, and means to create subatmospheric pressures within the thread holder to draw air upwardly into said intake mouth, said weft end upon being out falling into the upwardly drawn air to be moved by the latter into the thread holder.

15. In a pneumatic thread holder for a weft replenishing loom having a reserve bobbin from which extends a weft end which is cut subsequent to a replenishing operation, a hollow thread holder having a downwardly facing intake mouth into which the weft end extends and from which the weft end extends in a substantially horizontal direction prior to cutting thereof, and means to create subatmospheric pressures within the thread holder to draw an upwardly directed column of air through the intake mouth, said weft end upon being cut subsequent to a weft replenishing operation falling into said upwardly directed column of air and being drawn by the latter into said thread holder.

16. In a pneumatic thread holder for a weft replenishing loom having a reserve bobbin from which extends a weft end which is cut subsequent to a replenishing operation, a hollow thread holder having a downwardly opening intake mouth into which weft ends extend, means to create subatmospheric pressures within the thread holder to cause a column of air to ascend through the intake mouth, said Weft end when out falling into said column of air and being drawn thereby into the thread holder, said intake mouth being so formed that a thread depending vertically from the interior of the thread holder is out of contact with the periphery of the intake mouth.

17. In 'a pneumatic thread removing system for a weft replenishing loom having a magazine provided with structurally connected inner and outer plates to guide bobbins from which weft ends extend, the loom having a thread extending from a point under the magazine toward the selvage at the time of weft replenishment, supporting structure for the magazine connected to the said inner plate, a pneumatic thread rempver for said thread, a pneumatic thread holder for said weft ends, pneumatic means to create subatmospheric pressures, a fitting mounted on said supporting structure and having three communicating passages therein, means pneumatically connecting the thread remover with one of said passages, other means extending through said supporting structure and pneumatically connecting the thread holder with the second of said passages, and other means pneumatically connecting the third passage of said fitting with said pneumatic means.

18. In a pneumatic thread removing system for a weft replenishing loom having a magazine provided with bobbins from which weft ends extend, the loom having a thread extending from a point under the magazine to the selvage at the time of a replenishing operation, hollow supporting structure for the magazine, a pneumatic thread remover for said thread, a pneumatic thread holder for said weft ends, pneumatic means operative during loom operation to create subatmospheric pressures, a hollow member mounted on said supporting structure and having the interior thereof in communication with the interior of said supporting structure, means pneumatically connecting the thread remover with the interior of said member, other means pneumatically connecting the thread holder through said supporting structure with the interior of said member, and other means pneumatically connecting the interior of said member with said pneumatic means, the interior of said member being common to said remover, said holder, and said pneumatic means.

WALTER. H. WAKEFIELD. 

